Worry over passive fire protection in Scottish schools

The report was written by Professor John Cole who interviewed a wide range of people for the report including: representatives from those who built schools in Edinburgh, architects, structural engineers, parents, teachers and former and current Council staff from various departments.

The findings identified 17 schools where fire-stopping in walls needed immediate remedial work, as they would fail to prevent fire spread in the event of a fire. Following the publishing of the report, minister for housing and local government Kevin Stewart has told councils to immediately inspect fire-stopping in all schools. He told the Herald Scotland: “Today I have again written to local authorities highlighting the points and recommendations this report raises around compliance and fire-stopping. 

"I have underlined the importance of adhering to building regulations, technical standards and the inspection processes which are in place to protect the public. Building on work already undertaken by Scottish Futures Trust, robust guidance will also be provided to public sector bodies in Scotland on the findings of the report to ensure these are immediately reflected within their asset inspection and management strategies. 

“I have been clear with local authorities that any instance of non-compliance is completely unacceptable. As I consider this report in full, I will be looking at the system with which we hold building owners, developers and compliance authorities to account during construction.”